Log exports jumped to $2.4 billion in 2013 up 34% from 2012, with New Zealand now in the top three softwood log exporters in the world and the number 1 supplier to China. At the Forestry Investment Market 2014 (FIMO) conference recently held in Auckland much of the focus was on the resurgent commodity pricing for NZ logs, predominantly a result of the insatiable Chinese demand coupled with the Russian excise tax on their exports, pricing the Russians out of the market.

NZ may be responsible for only 0.2% of global emissions. But we only have 0.06% of the worlds population. In other words we are polluting way above our weight, with the 4th highest emissions per capita.

The latest IPCC report released at the end of March 2014 shows that NZ is not doing it's 'fair share' to mitigate climate change, and that our changing climate over the coming century means more extreme weather such as extensive floods, major droughts. Read the IPP report here, or read an article about NZ's status in the Report in the Christchurch Press 'Wake-Up call for NZ in climate report'.

Brian Fallow wrote an interesting piece in the NZ Herald outlining why it is essential for NZ to curb emissions, not from an moral/environmental viewpoint but from an economic viewpoint on reducing the monetary costs to current and future New Zealander's. Here is the link to the Article 'Curbing emissions is vital'.